Cop-holding skewer for looms



W. H. BAKER.

COP HOLDING SKEWER FOR LOOMS.

APPLICATLON FILED APR/2. 1919.

1,416,157, Patented May 16, 1922.

//71/e/2/or a 20 1447/1130? hf Baker UNITED STATES? PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. BAKER, OF MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA, ASSIGNOR TO DRAPER COR-PORATION. OF HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS. A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

COP-HOLDING SKEHER FOR DOOMS.

Application filld April 2,

lie it ltnown that i. inuau H. BAKER. a citizen oi th United States, andresidentof the city of Montreal. in the Province of Quebec and Dominionof Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in(lopHolding Skewers for Looms, of which the following is a full, clear.and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in cop holding skewers for looms.and the object of the invention is to provide a skewer which will hold acop securely in PltlCG and prevent breaking of the cop.

A. further object to provide a skewer. the spike of which may he veryeasily inserted into a cop.

A still further object is to provide a skewer of strong. durable andinexpensive constructiom particularly adapted to withstand the batteringincident to use in automatic weft replenishing looms.

Great diiliculty has been experienced in maintaining cops in properposition on the skewers which support them in the shuttles. At everyso-ond pick of thc loom, the inertia of the cop tends to slide it oflthe skewer when the shuttle comes to rest and. at alter nate picks theinertia of the cop tends to slide it oft the skewer when the shuttlecommences to move. Sometimes the whole cop moves and ialns. up againstthe thread outlet of the shuttle. resulting in :1 breakage of thethread. At other times, the butt end of the cop will remain firmly inposition while the tip end will move. thus resulting in what is known abroken cop. This condition has prevailed for many years and numerousattempts have been made to devise a skewer which will hold the copagainst this movement which is fatal to the successful operation of aloom. The most successful and most generally used of these skewers areformed with their spikes in the form of elliptic springs. which arecompressed or flattened when cops are forced on and which exert anoutward or expansive pressure on the cops tending to hold them againstmovement. Following the nature of an elliptic spring. such a spikeexerts the maximum holding effect at a point niitflway between the endsof a cop and practically no holding efi'ect toward the tip end of thecop. with the result that while the greater portion of a cop is securelyheld,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 16, 1922.

Serial No, 287,093.

the tip end frequently breaks away from the remainder, so that the copis ruined. An attempt has been made to overcome this by making thehalves of the spike of Wavy or corrugated form. These spring spikes havethe great disadvantage that they resist inseition in a cop andconsiderable skill and strength are necessary to properly place a cop onsuch a skewer.

According to the present invention, the skewer spike is made in twolongitudinally separate parts having relative movement in the axialdirection oi the skewer and pro vided on their adjacent surfaces withcams which tend. to separate the parts during relative movement in onedirection, so that the dian'ieter of the spike is increased. Thisrelative movement of the parts is produced by the inertia of one of theparts, assisted by a spring arranged in the head of the skewer whichnormally maintains a certain epansive pressure on a cop. The head of theskewer is constructed of such materials and in such a. way that it is exeedingly strong and durable and furthermore forms a re eptacle for thespring. so that valuable cop space on the skewer is not taken up by thespring.

in the drawings which illustratev the invention Fig. i is a sideelevation of the device.

Fig. 2 is a plan view.

Fin. 3 is a. longitudinal section through he centre of the head.

Fig". l is a cross section on the line 4- 4. i 'ioure i.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of the tip end of the spike.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Figure 3. illustrating a modification.

Fig. 7 is a. fragmentary view of the butt and of the spike partly insection illustrat ing; a further modification.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, ll designates the head and12 the spike of a cop skewer. The head is in the form of a metal cup 13having; a hollow neck 14- projecting outwardly' from the bottom thereof.The exterior of the cup is provided with circumferential ribs 15 adaptedto engage in the jaws of a shuttle to hold the skewer againstlongitudinal movement. An annulus 16 of fibre or other suitable materialsurrounds the neck and covers the outer surface of the cup bottom. Thisannulus is held 110 in place by a metal washer [T of larger diameterthan the neck, which is bedded into the washer so as to be flush with orslightly below the surface thereof. The ind oi the spike is reduced indiameter to term a shoulder 18, which bears against the inner surface ofthe cup bottom, the reduced portion 19 passing through the neck andbeing riveted over the Washer 17. The spike omprises a portion 20 fixedwith rc peer to the head and a portion 21 movable in the axial directionof the skewer with re pect to the portion 20 and the head. The cro ssection of these portions is approximately semicircular in thegreaterportion of their lengths, as clearly shown in Figure and they arearranged with their flat surfaces adjacent. The cross sectional area ofthe part slightly greater than the cross sectional area of the part 21,so that the part :2. will he stifier'tlian the part 21. The tip end ofthe part 20 entendb beyond the end 23 ot the part 21 and both taper inwidth but not in thickness, so that they come ultimately toapproximately circular cross sections. the

' trilpi 28 being very much smaller than the tip 2 2"and fittingslidably in the bore 34 oi the tip 22; The butt end of the part 21 stopsshort of the part 20 and is suitably enlarged 'adjacenrt' its endforming projections 25 against which one end of a helical spring 245 maypress; This spring surrounds both pants 219aahdzQI and its'onpositeendis seated in the bottom of the cup 13. it will thus be seen that theeffect of the spring in ex paneling isto urge the part 21 in the axialdirection of the skewer toward the tip thereof. The adjacent faces ofthe parts 20 and 21 are provided with C0-Gflg'1glli1r earns 27 sodisposed as to force the part 21 away from the part 20 during movementof the part 1 toward the tip of the skewer. These cams may-be in anysuitable number and position so as to give a practically uniform supportto the part 21.

In the form shown in Figure 6. a cupshapeilr wnslimr- E38 liairing anoutwardly turned flange 29 at its open end i:-: slid-ably mounted on thefixed part 20 ot' the skewer spike. The spring :26 is s ri-angel betweenthe bottom of the oirp- 1:3 and the [lanes of the Washer and operates tourge the out of the cup i The part oi the rer Spike is provided with anoutwardly turned foot 30 located within the washer 2 and adapted topress against the bottom thereof. SO that the part .91 will he urgedwith the washer toward the point of the skewe r.

In Figure 7, the foot 30'' ot the part 2L instead of being turned awayfrom the part 20. is turned tbward the part 24) and provided with anaperture 3.1 through which the part'QO passes. Spring pressure may be applied'tothe part 21 in the manner drown in Figure-3111' in the mannerFlWWH in high-re 6, or in any other suitable manner, the foot 30 formingan abutment for the spring corresponding to the projections 25-or anabut ment for the washer corresponding to the foot 30,

The operation of the device is extremely simple and is entirelyautomatic in its action. hen a cop is to be applied to the skewer theoperator grasps the skewer by its head with one hand and the cop in theother hand in the usual manner and passes the spike through the cop frombuttto tip. To this movement, the spike part 21 engages trictionallywith the core of the cop and is pressed toward the part 20 and alsodrawn hack relatilelyto the platt 20' against the action of the spring26; so that the cams of the part 21 slide down on the cams of the part20 and enable the part 21 to approach the part 20, so that the s ikecontracts and may be very easily presse into the cop. As soon as thepressure is relieved. the spring 26 becomes effective and urges the part21 toward the point of the spike. In such a movement, the cams of thetwo parts move over one another and force the parts 20 and 21 apart, sothat the spike tends to expand within the cop and grip the same verytightly. When the skewer is placed in a shuttle and the latter set inmotion, the skewer is moved" longitudinally. When the skewer starts-toadvance (more point first) the movement is applied through the head andspike part 20 which is rigid therewith. The sateen of tilfepai-tflldnces a tendency for these two to setback rowan-lite l-lea it of tireskewer: During the movement, the spring'26 loosens the grip of the spikein thecop, as previously described.

Vl hen the advance of the shuttle is checked, T05

the inertia of the. cop and part 21'te'nds to keep them in movementafter'thc part 20 has stopped. Any such movement of thepart 21 isaccompanied byan expansion of the spike. so that th grlp of the" spikeon? the 110 cap is-inct eased and the cop securely held against slidingtoward the point of the skewer. When the skewer commences its returnmovement (head first), the movement of the shuttle is communicated asthrough the head and spike part 2-0 and the inertia of the cop and part21 tend to cause them to slip toward the skewer point. Such movementwould produce the same results as are produced liry'the stoppage ofmove- 1'20 ment just described. When the shuttle reaches its startingpoint and movement is again checked the inertia of the cop and part 21tend to slide them toward the head of the skewer.

21 toward the head of the shower is accompanied by a loosening of thegrip on the cop, so that the cop 'will befrse t'o' rr'iove toward theskewer head; It will thus be seen that at one side of the loom. therewill be a series 130 and the eop' pr-obefore 11 5 Any movement of thepart of distinct impulses tending to loosen the grip of the skewer inthe cop and urging the cop toward the skewer head, while at the oppositeside of the loom there will be an equal number of equally strongimpulses urging the skewer to expand within the cop uirl hold sameagainst movement away i'i'oin the skewer head. The cup-shaped heedprovides :1 receptacle for the spring and is ob riously much strongerthan the wood n heads usually applied to skewers. The fibre ring on theend of the head much stronger than wood and has about the someresiliency. The construction of the head with the ribs 15 forming anintegral part thereof is much superior to the ordinary construction andis especially efficient 'lor use in automatic looms where the skewers ae subject to very rough usage. The spike re ceiving portions of the headbeing entirely of metal. it is obvious that the spike may be attachedmuch more securely than is possible in the ordinary woodenheaded.skewer. The use of a metal head enables the formation of a large deepcup for the reception of the spring 26 or the butt end of the cop it anordinary spike is attached to the head. thus enabling a longer cop to beused than is possible with a wooden-headed skewer of the same length asthe metal-headed skewer.

Vl hile the spike has been shown and dcscribed as attached to a headsuitable for use in an automatic loom, it will be understood that theinvention is not limited to such a combination, as the spike may bepivoted at one end in a shuttle in the well known manner. In such anarrangement the spring actuating the part 21 will be arranged betweenthe part 21 and any suitable form of abutmcn t on the part 20.

in placing a cop on the spike. the operation may be greatly facilitatedby inanually relieving the part 21 of the load of the spring by pressingdirectly on the spring. ln the form shown in Figure 6. the washer willserve as a. means to compress the spring; and greatly facilitate theoperation.

Having; thus desi-ribed my invention. what I claim is 1. 5X cop spikedivided along its longitudinal axis into two parts relatively movable intheir longitudinal direction. and a spring); urging: said spike parts tomovement in opposite directions.

2. A device according to claim 1, in which one oi the parts projects atboth ends beyond the other part. and operative connection helween saidparts at both ends.

3. A device according to claim 1, in which the parts are of unequallength.

4. In combination with a device according: to claim 1. abutments carriedby the butt ends of the spike parts. between which the spring islocated.

5. A device according to claim 1, in which the tip end of one part istubular and receives the tip end of the other part.

6. A devi e according to claim 1, in whi h one of the parts has greaterflexibility than the other.

T. In. Combination with a device a cordhugto claim 1. a cam on one ofsaid parts and a cam on the other of said parts engaging with said firstcam. said cams being operative upon relative longitudinal movement oithe parts in one direction to simultane ously move the parts away fromone another.

8. A. device according to claim 1. in which the spike parts are each ofsubstantially semi-circular cross section throughout the gri'eziltcrpart of their length and are of substantially cylindrical formation attheir tip ends. the tip end of one part ha vin an opening to receive thetip end of the other part.

9. A cop spike divided along its longitudinal axis into two partsrelatively movable in thei longitudinal direi'tiou. said parts being ofunequal flexibility and length and the tip end oi the longer part beingadapted to slidably receive the tip end of the shorter part. aluituientscarried by the butt ends of said parts, and a spring mounted incompression between said abntments.

10. In combination with a device according to claim 1, (so-engaging camscarried by the spike parts and arranged to regulate the distance betweenthe parts proportionately to their relative longitudinal movement.

11. t cop spike for a loom shuttle comprising two parts. one adapted tobe rigidly held by the shuttle. and the other of which is operativelyconnected with such rigidly held part so as to move longitudinally withrespect thereto. 111d a spring acting upon the long itudinal moving partand tending to move it toward the tip of the skewer.

19-. In combination with a device according: to claim it. cams on saidparts arranged to separate the parts upon predetermined relativemovement of the parts.

13. A device of the class described comprising a. spike longitudinallydivided into two relatively movable parts, a head rigidly attached tothe butt end of one of said parts, abutments on the butt end of theother of sai parts. and a. spring connected between said head andabutments arranged to urge the parts to relative longitudinal movement.

14-. A device according to claim 13, in which the head is cup-shaped forthe reception of the spring.

15. A device according to claim 1.3, in which the tip end of one of saidparts is provided with an opening to receive the tip end of the otherpart and to limit the relative longitudinal movement of the parts.

16. In combination with a device according to claim 13, in which thehead carrying part is less flexible, (to-engaging cams carried by saidspike parts adapted to separate the parts upon movement of said movablepart in one direction.

17. In a cop skewer, a spike, a cup having an opening in the bottomthereof through which said spike passes, an external neck surroundingthe opening, an annulus of cushioning material surrounding the neck, awasher over which the spike is riveted retaining said annulus, andexternal circumferential ribs on said cup adapted for (:0- operationwith a shuttle.

18. A device according to claim 1?, in

which the cup neck and circumferential ribs are formed of a single pieceof metal and the annulns formed of fibre.

l9. Tn a rep skewer, (L cup having an opening in the bottom thereof, anannulus of cushioning material outside the bottom of said cup, and a.-spike passing through the cup bottom and annulus and securing the cupand annulus together.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

\VILLIAM H. BAKER.

